Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Battle of the Brands from Smark Out Moment, where we compare this week's episodes of Raw and SmackDown and determine which one of the two was the better show.

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:

RAW vs. SMACKDOWN

FACTOR 1: MATCHES

Raw = Keith Lee finally had an opportunity to shine this week on Raw as he defeated Andrade in a dominant victory. Andrade was too cocky for his own good as he underestimated the strength of Lee, with Lee's Spirit Bomb capping a fine performance. This match acheived it's purpose well, fully rehabilitating Lee's character following a disappointing stretch of matches.

Drew McIntyre defended his WWE Championship against a returning Robert Roode in the main event, with both men putting on a fine performance. Although McIntyre never looked like losing, he did at least make it appear that Roode was a threat to him, before delivering a huge Claymore to successfully retain the title. It was a match worthy of the main event slot, and hopefully Roode can use this as a springboard to return to the upper midcard of Raw.

SmackDown = AJ Styles capitalised on Jey Uso's defeat to Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions to challenge him to a match. Uso was up for the challenge though, surprising the former WWE Champion with an upset victory. This match gave a level of legitimacy to Uso, whilst both men worked hard to put on a solid and entertaining bout.

Sami Zayn defended his Intercontinental Championship against Jeff Hardy in an entertaining match, highlighting just how talented both men are. It was an effective contest to main event the show, whilst also underlining how important the title is on the blue brand.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Seth Rollins returned to his absolute best this week as he taunted Rey Mysterio over Aalyah's alleged indiscretions with Murphy. It is so entertaining to see Rollins act slimy, with the cadence of his promos coming across really well.

SmackDown = Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns both cut a stunning promo to kick off the show, with Heyman displaying a level of reverence that has not been seen since he became the 1 behind the 1 in 21 and 1. Reigns was passionate in his delivery, once again displaying how much he has improved on the microphone.

Sasha Banks gave an emotional promo as she announced she will be facing Bayley next week for the SmackDown Women's Championship. She was fired up and angry, which makes the feud between the pair feel important.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Randy Orton took out Shawn Michaels, Christian, The Big Show and Ric Flair in an unprovoked assault to end the show. It was extremely silly to see him disguised as a janitor, only to use night vision goggles to attack them in the dark. This did set up his match with Drew McIntyre at Hell in a Cell perfectly though, which is positive considering how well the feud has been received by fans.

SmackDown = Alexa Bliss appeared to confirm her alliance with The Fiend this week as she offered her hand to him following his attack on Kevin Owens. Bliss continues to speak positively of The Fiend, which makes the storyline even more compelling. Bliss no longer resembles the character fans have come to love, with this new persona giving her a level of intrigue that would have been unheard of six months ago.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was better paced this week, however the show still did not feel exciting. Raw Underground was a glaring omission, whilst the threat from RETRIBUTION never materialised to make the show feel unpredictable.

SmackDown = SmackDown was oddly paced this week, with a number of matches not being given the time they deserved. The show as a whole was good, but it could have been so much better.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for keeping the storyline between Aleister Black and Kevin Owens interesting, especially as this feels like the best opportunity for Black to show his credentials for a future shot at the WWE Championship.

Raw also gains points for making Robert Roode feel important as he made his return to Raw.

Raw loses points for the 24/7 Championship segments. None of them were entertaining, with R-Truth starting to finally lose his appeal as Champion.

Raw also loses points for not featuring any Raw Underground segments. It is too early in the lifetime of the concept to miss a week.

SmackDown gains points for continuing to keep the storyline between Alexa Bliss and The Fiend interesting.

SmackDown also gains points for the reveal of Carmella as the woman behind the untouchable vignettes. Carmella effortlessly slipped back into being a heel, with this new character feeling like the perfect fit for her.

SmackDown loses points for a distinct lack of women's matches this week.

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -2) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)


With a score of 4 to 1, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Both shows were less entertaining than they should have been, but each show had their redeeming moments. Hopefully Raw and SmackDown will improve as we head towards Hell in a Cell, but for this week at least, it was SmackDown that was the more interesting and watchable show.